Improvement in fire-arms



` J. C. HUWE.

Breach-Loading Fire-Arm.

Patented Oct. 31, 1854 male cone,

n loading gunsthe E [UNITED STATES,

lPartita# Ormea...

VJorrit o. Howe, or MILWAUKEE, w1sooNsIN-` H owE, of the city and State vof Wisknown that I, J. C. and county of Milwaukee,

"",'V`cons in,zhave invented a new and useful Imf provenient in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms; and 'Ildohereby declare that the following is a full,

description of the same, ref`f -V erenee being/had to the accompanying drawclear, and exact ings, forming part of this specification, in whichf i i Figure 1 is a'longitudinal section of the breech and part of the stock and barrel o f a gun constructed according to my invention, showing the breech in condition for ring. Fig. 2 is a top view oi'- the same. Fig, 3 is a section` ofv similar character' to Fig. 1, but showing. the breech in condition for loading. Fig. 4 lis a transverse section through the chamber. Fig.- 5 illustrates a modification of one of the details employed in my improve ment.

Similar letters l' reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

In fire-arms constructed according to this invention al chambered breech is employed, which fits to the barrel with a male andfe# and is capable of .receiving two movements, namely: one a short distance back and forth in line-with' the barrel, to open and/ clo'se'the chamber and barrel, and anotherto raise the mouth of the chamber above the bar- A chambered rel, to receive the charge.

' -breech having the above movements has been before employed, and therefore does not coni' stitutemy invention, which consists" in certain simple and ing andapplying effective means of constructthe same, whereby both the necessary movements are obtainedby a single movement of a` lever under the stock.

` To enable those skilled in the art to make and use nay-invention, I will proceedto describe its construction and operation.

A is the chambered breech, whose transf verse section is of quadrangular form and itssides parallel longitudinally, in order that it -inay iit in a parallel opening made in pthe stock to receive it. That part B of the stock 'v which containsitis made of metal, and corre-4 sponds with what is termed in other breechbreech-supporter. The' back of' the breech is connected by a hinge or Y knuckle joint, a, below the stock with alever, C, which stands and forms the trigger-guard,

. groove,

ling down the lever,

breech below the joint a is of such form 4 drawn far enough back to 'turned by moving the IMPROVEMENT lunes-ARMS,

and lthe' same lever is connected byl another hinge or knuckle joint, b, a short distance behind a, with a sliding piece, D, which fitswith a tongue, 0,'on each side, anda corresponding d, in the opening in it may slide up and down therein, but is capable of no other movement. the sliding piece D areofthe same width as the breech, so that laterally they fill .the opening inthe stock.l All that confines the breech- 'lever and sliding piece within the stock and prevents them falling or being withdrawn from it is astud, d, which is secured in one side of the breech immediately above'the joint a, and

ts in a slot, e, which is parallel with the bore of the barrel, in one side of the stock. The stud d is represented and 4, and the slot is represented dotted in allY those figures. The' parts are'all so constructed and arranged that when the breech is in position for rin g, as represented in vblack outline in Fig. 1.,' the centers of the joints a and b stand in a line parallel with the bore of' the v gun, andV thus prevent the driving back of the breech. The lever G is at -that time close to the stock. .The breech is withdrawn by pull.

draws down the joint b. the joint b is' provided tting the sliding piece rIhe moving down ot' The shape of that part l of the` that when the breech is drawl its male cone f entirelyfrom the female cone g of the barrel, as shown in red outline in Figs. 1 and 3, it comes lever, and the further drawing backisprevented.l The lever and the breech fulcrum, and the lever causes the raised to the position shown in black in' Fig. 3, to receive the charge, causing' at the same time an extended portion, la., of the upper part of the breech to' move-over the Slid ing the 'breech is repiece D. After loading,

leverupward, during the early part of which movement the Stationary position of thecenter b is mai the portion h of the breechpreventing the asthe stock, so that The lever C and by a dotted circle in Figs. 1 and 3and also represented in Figs. 2 n

which, as the joint a is preventedmoving upward by the stud d above,

for by the manneryof D, and as the sliding f piece -is drawn down the breech is drawnback. back of the in contact with the then form, in effect, parts of the same lever, 'with b as its' further drawing down of the front end. of the breech to be tained by cent of the sliding piece.` By the' time the breech reaches the position opposite the barrel (represented in red) the further descent 'of the front of the breech is prevented by a small resting-piece, z', on the front'part of the opening in the stock, and the part h of the breech,

having then Worked clear of the sliding piece D, allows the latter to move upward, and the upward movement of the joint b drives the breech forward and the cone f hard up into the cone g of the barrel. 'v

InV the modification represented in Fig. 5

Y the sliding piece D is intended to be dispensed with and its place supplied by a link, j, the

fron-t end of which formspart of the joint 'b, vand the back end is connected by a knuckle-k oint, k, with the stock, so that the lever and link form a toggle-joint. will enable the same movements to be given This arrangement to the breech by the movement of the lever,

A v and thebreech will be locked in place for liring by the. joints a b ca1l being in line at that time.

I am aware that the breech-has been before similarly held in its 'place and made capable of the double movement herein described by means of a slot, e, and stop d; also, that a sliding cam-key at the back of the breech has been used to keep the breech steady against recoil, and serving to admit of the swiveling of the breech'when required; but such devices have been differently constructed and less simply and perfectly arranged-or combined v with and operated on by the lever beneath. Such, therefore, of themselves alone I do not claim; but

I do claimns new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The arrangement herein specified of the breechoperating lever Cby its hinges or joints a and b with the bree'ch A, hung and operating as described, and movable guide or -slide D at the back of vthe breech, the whole being` constructed, combined, vand operatingv togeth er substantially as herein set forth.

JOHN C. HOVE. Witnesses l 0. D. MUNN,

- G. W'.,KELLoGG. 

